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Patented Nov. 22, I898.

V. BEAUREGABD & C. S. GOODING.

BOTTLE LABELING MACHINE.

(Application filed June 24, 1897.)

(No'ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

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(Application filed June 24, 1897.) (No Model.)

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(Application filed June 24, 1597. 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE;

VICTOR BEAUREGARD, OF BOSTON, AND CHARLES S. GOODING, OF BROOK- LINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE SIEGEL LABELING MACHINE COMPANY,OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BOTTLE-LABELING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,689, dated November 22, 1898.

Application filed June 24, 1897.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, VIcroR BEAUREGARD, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, and CHARLES S. GOODING, of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk, State of Massachusetts,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Labeling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to machines for [0 labeling bottles, and has for its object to provide an attachment for the same by means of which labels may be expeditiously and firmly affixed to bottles of difierent sizes and shaped in such way as to prevent the edges of the same from curling or working loose.

To this end the invention consists of an attachment for a labeling-machine possessing those features of construction and arrangement which we have illustrated on the drawings and which we will now proceed to describe in detail and then point out in the claims hereto appended.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming a part of this specification, the same letters designating the same parts or features, as the case may he, wherever they occur.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 represents in front elevation a bottle-labeling machine equipped with our invention. Fig. 2 represents a face view of a different embodiment of the invention. Fig. 3 represents asection on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 through the bottlereceiving and label-affixing mechanism, so as to show one of the lower plungers. Fig. 4 represents a section on the line 4 4. of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 illustrates the stationary cam and the rollers on the plungers for the purpose of showing their relative arrangement. Fig. 6 represents a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings and to the machines which we have selected for the purpose of illustrating embodiments of our invention, aindicates the side standards, which are connected by cross-bars a 6&2 to form a frame suitable to receive journals for the shafts and furnish supports for the other movable parts of the machine.

50 The main driving-shaft b is provided with cams for actuating the label-carrier c and the upper plunger d, said label-carrier being pro- Serial No. 642,168. (No model.)

vided with the spring-connected pivoted arms 0, having label-carrying shoes 0 0' Bysuitable mechanism (not shown in detail) the carrier is swung back, coating the shoes with paste. and a label is picked up from a labelbox (not shown) by the shoes and is carried forward thereby to be affixed to the bottle. A bottle is placed between the arms 0 c, whereupon the plunger (1 descends and forces the bottle between the arms, which separates to permit the label to be wiped on to the bottle.

The machine thus far described forms no part of the present invention, save that it furnishes means for feeding a label forward to be secured or affixed to a bottle by our attachment, which we shall now describe.

Located below the plunger is a rotary holder or receiver for the bottles, which operates to bind the labels tightly against them and maintain them thus for a predetermined time or until the adhesion is perfect and there is no danger or liability of the edges of the labels curling up and away from the bottles.

J ournaled on a stud-shaft e, projecting outward from a standard 6, rising from the crossbar or support a is a spider or skeleton frame having a series of radial cylinders e connected at their upper ends by ribs or webs e which are extended radially outward, as at e e, on either side of each cylinder to form supports for parts to be described. The spider is held in place by a nut e and a series of washers e, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and is given an intermittent or step-by-step rotary movement by means which shall be hereinafter explained.

In each of the cylinders is a plungerf, having at its upper end a rest f for the bottle and held frictionally against movement by a blockor shoe f and a spring f both located in a socket formed in the cylinder-wall. The tension of the spring may be varied by a setscrew f abutting thereagainst.

Pivoted in the end of each of the extensions 6 on either side of each plunger are two band-carriers g, each having an upwardlyprojecting arm g, extended laterally at its end, and an outwardly-projecting finger g Stretched across the ends of each pair of arms 9 is a flexible extensible band h, of rubber or of any other suitable flexible material, having its ends connected to the fingers g by springs h and preferably passing through eyes g 011 the ends of the said arms g. Extending out on both sides of the plunger are fingers f f which are either connected to the band-carriers by a pin-and-slot connection with inwardly-projecting lugs g as shown in Fig. 1, or else abutting against shoulders or stops g g thereon, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the last-mentioned figure the band-carriers are shown as provided with cam lugs or stops 9 against which the fingers f f may engage when the plunger is depressed to operate the said carriers and lock them against movement.

Upon a bottle being depressed by the plunger d it first strikes against'the band h, which yields until it is forced against the rest f, and the plungerfis depressed. As the plunger f descends it swings the band-carriers on their pivots, and the band is wrapped around the bottle, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so as to hold the label tightly thereagainst. The plunger f is held from rising when the upper plunger ascends by the friction-block f in Fig. 1 or else by the engagement of the fingers f with the cam-lugs g in Fig. 2, and hence the label is bound firmly about the bottle until the paste dries and there is no chance for the edges of the label to uncurl. As soon as a bottle is clasped by the band and the bandcarriers and the upper plunger has moved upward to some extent by power-transmitting devices actuated from the power-shaft b and forming no part of this present invention the holder or spider is rotated one step to present another plunger and band to receive the next bottle by the following devices.

On the hub z" of a cam 2', stationarily mounted on the stud-shaft e, is a rocking lever 31', connected by a rod j to the upper plunger (1 and having a spring-held pawl j adapted to enter notches e in the spider 6, there being one notch for each plunger. A spring-held bolt or pawl e is mounted in the end of the standard e and enters the notches e to hold the spider stationary intermittingly and properly position the plungers f f in order below the upper plunger d.

The cam t', before referred to, is of the shape shown in Fig. 5, and it coacts with rolls is, mounted on pins projecting outward from the plungers f, in raising each plunger when it has reached a certain position by the rotation of the spider, to permit the bottle being withdrawn by the operator from the band and band-carriers, as indicated at A in Fig. 1.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The parts being in the positions shown in Fig. 1, with a label adhering to the under sides of the label-shoes and a bottle being held by an operator between the label-shoe arms or levers, the plunger d is lowered to force the bottle between the label-shoes. As the plunger descends the arms or levers 0 separate and the bottle is pressed against the label and the label and bottle against the flexible band, the

latter yieldingas the bottle descends and em-- bracing it. are held stationary by the stops carried by the plunger f; but when atlast said plunger f is depressed by the pressure of the bottle the said carriers are forced toward each other by the arms f bearing on the cams g and closely embrace the bottle, so as to clamp the label thereon. The carriers are likewise locked in the position they have now assumed, as the plunger f is held from rising by the friction devices before described. As the plunger cl descended it rocked the lever j downward (being connected thereto by the rod j) until the pawl j caught in one of the notches 6 so that when the said plunger cl is now raised the said lever j is rocked upward, rotating the spider around far enough to bring another plunger fin line with the plunger d. The parts are of such proportions and move through such distances that the upward movement of the plunger cl imparts theproper movement of the spider, and the bolt or pawl 6 yields when the pawl 7' enters a notch and begins to draw upon the spider. The bottle, which was forced against the band and is now locked in the embrace thereof, has the label clamped against it during the next four entire cycles of operations of the machine equipped with this attachment, and during this time the label becomes set upon the bottle. Each time the machine completes one cycle of operations the holder is advanced one step, and this step-by-step movement progresses untilthe plunger f is thrust outward by the roller riding upon the cam 11, as shown in Fig. 5, and the carriers are forced into their normal inoperative positions. An operator catches the bottles as they are successively released and places an unlabeled one upon the uppermost plunger. Thus from the foregoing it will be seen that when each bottle is depressed by the upper plunger d the label-shoes separate and the label is pressed by the band tightly about the bottle. The band encircles the bottle and compresses the label thereagainst with a spring-pressure for a predetermined time until the adhesion of the label to the bottle is perfect, whereupon there is no danger of the edges of the label uncurling and working away.

It will be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the particular arrangement of plungers or band-carriers nor to any of the details of construction above described, as the invention may be expressed or embodied in many other ways and forms; nor do we limit the application of the attachment to a labeling-machine of any particular style or kind, as machines constructed in other ways may be equipped therewith.

The flexible band acts to bind the labels firmly upon the bottles, although the latter may be of different and irregular shapes and sizes, since by its flexibility it adapts itself readily thereto. This will be recognized as At this time the band-carriers being one of the most desirable features of the invention, since the bottles are frequently unevenly molded, tapering, or angular in cross section. The bands are non-traveling i. a, are not bodily movable endwise--and hence there is no danger of stripping the label from the bottle, as would be the case with an irregularly-shaped bottle were an endless trav= eling band employed. On the contrary, they are capable of compressing the labels with great force against the bottles, so that their ends cannot curl up when the bottles are released.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, though without at* tempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, we declare that what we claim is- 1. A bottle-labeling machine and having mechanism for affixing a label upon a bottle, said mechanism comprising a non-traveling flexible band, and mechanism for causing said band to embrace a bottle and cover a portion of the periphery thereof which is greater in length transversely of the bottle than one-half the circumference of the bottle.

2. A bottle-labeling machine having pasting mechanism, and mechanism for affixing a label upon a bottle, said mechanism consisting of a non-traveling flexible band and mechanism for causing said band to receive the bottle and constantly compress a label against more than a semicircumference of the bottle during two or more cycles of operation of the label-pasting mechanism.

3. In combination with the organized parts of a bottle-labeling machine, a rotary holder having pivoted band-carriers, and a non-traveling flexible and yielding band stretched between said carriers for receiving a bottle and affixing a label thereto, and means for automatically effecting the release of the bottle from the band.

4. In combination with the organized parts of a bottle-labeling machine, including a top bottle-engaging member, pivoted arms provided with a non-traveling and yielding band, said parts being constructed and arranged and operated, whereby the bottle is engaged between the said member and the said band, and locking means to hold said arms from releasing the bottle.

5. A bottle-labeling machine having mechsented to the bottle, and the bottle and label are compressed between the upper member and the band.

7. A bottle-labeling machine comprising pasting mechanism, a label-carrier for presenting a pasted label to the bottle, a bottle= engaging member, a non-traveling flexible band directly opposite said member, and a support for receiving the ends of the band, said parts being constructed and arranged whereby the label is pasted and presented to the bottle, and the bottle and the label are compressed between the said member and the band.

8. In a bottle-labeling machine, a top plunger, a spider having a series of lower plungers each adapted to coact with the top plunger in receiving a bottle, a flexible band above each lower plunger to receive and embrace the bottle, and means for receiving the ends of the bands.

9. In a bottle-labeling machine, a top plun= ger, a spider having a series of bands, a pair of carriers for each band, and means actuated by said plunger for operating said carriers to embrace the bottles with the bands.

10. In a bottle-labeling machine, a top plunger, a spider having a series of bands, apair of carriers for each band, means actuated by said plunger for operating said carriers to embrace the bottles with the bands,and means for bringing the bands successively below said plunger. v

11. An attachment for a bottle-labeling machine, comprising a plunger, pivoted bandcarriers located on the side of the plunger, and a band stretched between said band-carriers, said band-carriers and said plunger being formed with coacting stops, which lock the carriers in their operative positions.

12. In a bottle-labeling machine, a bottleengaging member, a non-traveling flexible band arranged in operative relation to said member, and band-carriers having arms over which said band is stretched, and laterallyprojecting fingers or lugs to which the ends of' the bands are connected.

13. A bottle-labeling machine, comprising pasting mechanism, a label-carrier having shoes adapted to be coated with paste for the purpose of causing a label to adhere thereto, a horizontal non-traveling band arranged just below the path of movement of the label-carrier, whereby the label may be held over it by the carrier, and a bottle-engaging member for causing the bottle and label to be embraced by the band.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 21st day of.

June, A. D. 1897.

VICTOR BEAUREGARD. CHAS. S. GOODING.

Witnesses:

A. D. HARRISON, P- W. PEZZETTI. 

